It's a provocative question, I know. But every time I observe what's happening around us, I ask myself more frequently: are we losing the ability to think for ourselves?
And what’s most worrying is that perhaps the answer is yes.
We live surrounded by screens, notifications, and constant stimuli. Every day we receive thousands of opinions, comments, and headlines on topics that, in most cases, are irrelevant. This mental noise distracts us, exhausts us, and, little by little, accustoms us to not thinking. It's a digital noise that lulls us to sleep.
Social media, short videos, endless threads, and empty debates surround us like a constant swarm. They entertain us, yes, but they also anesthetize us. We spend hours "consuming content" that doesn't contribute anything to us, but that keeps us on the platforms. And that's no coincidence.
Apps are designed to retain us, so that we never let go. The more time we spend on them, the more data we generate. And that data translates into money. It's that simple. Our time and attention are the new digital oil. We are not users, we are the product.
The problem is that, in this invisible exchange, we lose something valuable: the capacity for reflection. We no longer think deeply about what we see. A quick opinion, a witty phrase, or a 15-second video is enough for us.
And now Artificial Intelligence has entered the scene. And while it can be a wonderful tool, it can also reinforce that tendency to "think less." AI gives us immediate answers, summaries, and solutions. But it's not always right.
The user must have the judgment to discern whether the answer is correct or not. And that judgment can only be developed with knowledge, experience, and critical thinking.
However, if all we do is accept without question, we are delegating our ability to think to a machine. And that is dangerously comfortable.
We live in a culture of "no effort." We have so many tools at hand that we hardly do anything for ourselves anymore:
Before, if we wanted to get somewhere, we opened a map. Today, we follow the GPS.
If we need to calculate, we use a calculator.
If we need to write a text, we ask an app or an AI for help.
And the less we exercise our thinking, the more it atrophies. Like a muscle that isn't used.
This convenience is making us dependent. What used to be a tool to make our lives easier may now be replacing our own ability to think.
One of the greatest risks lies with the new generations. Many young people use AI to do their homework, but without yet having the criteria to judge the information they receive.
Writing, reasoning, making mistakes, and correcting errors are fundamental processes for learning to think. If we delegate this to a machine, students will end up knowing less, but believing they know more.
That's why teaching critical thinking should be as important as teaching math or English. It's not enough to consume information: you have to know how to analyze, compare, and understand it.
I've read some people talking about the danger of directed thinking. A society that doesn't think for itself is a society that's easy to manipulate. People without critical thinking end up believing what they hear on social media, what influencers say, or what the media repeats.
And that's how some leaders, with a lot of money and power behind them, come to power without people really knowing why they vote for them. There's no conspiracy: there's a lack of thought.
The "sheepishness" we hear so much about doesn't arise from ignorance, but from a lack of interest in reflecting. And if we stop thinking, others will do it for us... and almost always for their own benefit.
Perhaps we're not becoming dumber in the classic sense, but we are becoming more distracted, more conformist, and less critical. And that, in practice, makes us more manipulable.
It's not about rejecting technology, but rather using it consciously, without letting it think for us. Because thinking remains the most revolutionary act we can perform in a world that seeks to keep us distracted.
And you, dear reader, do you have the same feeling as me... or am I the one who thinks too much?
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